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Honda on a Roll

Nita Sanil smiles with Mike Honda at an India earthquake relief fundraiser. Photo by Sam Chu Lin.

By Sam Chu Lin

Freshman Congressman Mike Honda has been on the go. While in the Bay Area last week, he spoke with the community on a range of issues, from California’s electricity crisis and public transportation concerns, to India earthquake relief, and reparations for victims of Japanese atrocities during World War II.

But that’s the kind of hectic schedule he has been keeping since he was officially sworn-in by House Speaker Dennis Hastert on Jan. 3. Back in Washington, he is the only new congressman who has been assigned to three subcommittees: highway transit, aviation, and water resources. He is also on the budget committee, and serves as the vice chair of the Asian Pacific American Islander caucus.

It’s no wonder that 14- to 15-hour days are de rigueur for Honda. In Washington, he lives in a one-bedroom apartment several blocks away from his office, and walks to work.

“Location-wise, it’s very handy and convenient,” he said. “I don’t want to drive to work.”

Adopting a routine similar to his days in the state assembly, Honda flies home to San Jose on Thursday nights to meet with local constituents. He returns to Washington on a ‘red-eye’ Sunday nights.

Last week was no exception. On March 2, he flew from Washington, D.C. to San Francisco and drove directly from the airport to participate in a fundraiser with former President Bill Clinton at San Jose’s Jubilee Christian Center, at which $2 million was collected for Indian earthquake relief. Clinton is a board member of the new American Indian Foundation and is planning to travel to India next month. He had made several campaign appearances for Honda, and this meeting was their first reunion since the election.

“I’m very proud of you,” Clinton smiled as he congratulated Honda on his victory for California’s 15th congressional district. He added with a note of caution, “Don’t let [the GOP] get you down!”

“It’s wonderful to see Clinton continue his work with people he met during his tenure as president,” Honda said. “When he went to India a couple of months ago, the folks there treated him like a rock star. I think that experience solidified his feelings about how he wants to work with the communities here.”

A week earlier, Honda met with representatives from Bay Area Rapid Transit (BART) to find out how they can better serve commuters, and he rode on Silicon Valley’s light rail to learn more about users’ needs and customer satisfaction.

Later, he joined with a half-dozen San Jose community leaders, who gave him their assessment of the impact of California’s electric power crisis. Top among their concerns was that disabled persons who use battery-operated wheel chairs could drastically be affected by higher electric rates. He was also alerted that Silicon Valley companies are examining how the rising electric costs could affect their geographical expansion plans. And in a dinner meeting, high-tech CEOs reminded Honda they would like to see less government interference in their businesses. They argued industries are best qualified to set their own standards.

Honda isn’t shying away from controversy. Orange County congressman Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., is sponsoring a new bill to lend assistance to American POWs who were used as slaves by Japanese companies during World War II, and he has asked Honda to sign on as co-author.

According to Honda, the bill would call for “the clarification of the wording of the 1951 Peace Treaty between Japan and the United States. This could open an avenue to former POWs of World War II, who were put into slave labor by Japanese companies to sue for back wages,” Honda said.

In recent weeks, Korean Americans who were enslaved by Japan during World War II have filed lawsuits in Los Angeles against Mitsui and Mitsubishi for back wages. Moreover, Japanese-American relations have been strained as a result of the sinking of the Ehime Maru by the U.S. Navy. Meanwhile, in South Korea, protestors have picketed the Japanese Embassy in Seoul demanding that Japan not adopt a new history textbook, that omits mention of atrocities committed in Korea, China and other parts of Asia.

Amidst these recent events, Honda is looking for public input on the bill.

“There is never good timing for anything that is controversial,” he said.

“There is always time to look at issues, if you have the spirit of reconciliation in closing past differences or correcting past mistakes,” Honda added. “You have to make time for that. You have to be willing to look at it in a way that is positive. That’s what I am attempting to do.”